How do you tell if a cel or sketch is real?

[ginga123]

what does the scent smell like? old plastic? old ink smell? both?

if it is, then I am definitely used to that "distinctive" smell!

as for spotting pseudos, i always check the coloring/shading, if it's available, and make sure it's not a print-out with patches of laser copy colored ink.

and, the more dents in the peice--the more authentic it could be. i also check for fading in the color of the paper the sketch is on too. the more crisp white it is--the more i get suspicious.

[kira]

i have two hazel sets that make me wonder wheither they are are real or not since i know theres no holes in punched in them plus i see no writing on them.

http://debtorshell.rubberslug.com/galle ... mID=146136

this set i know was in the anime.

and this one

http://debtorshell.rubberslug.com/galle ... mID=146569


i asked the guy that owns anime ed how to tell apart real and fake sketches. he said there really isnt a way to do that.*sigh*

[RoboFlonne]

Can we dust the Sketch for prints?

What do you think!!

[sensei]

what does the scent smell like? old plastic? old ink smell? both?

The closest thing I know to it is photocopy machine toner. Which is what it might be, as I understand that trace lines are laid onto the acetate with a modified xerox machine.

Anyhow, it's magical to open up a cel that's been bagged for a long time and release the scent.

Sadly, the smell dissipates over time, particularly when the cel is stored in a bag with holes or a corner clipped.

Concerning sketches, I'd just look for heavy use. They've all been handled many times, and each set of sketches is made from the previous ones, so layouts are usually pretty ruinous, roughs are crumpled, gengas are creased, and dougas splattered with paint (and sometimes coffee). This kind of progressive-damage-by-use is very hard to fake, even if the faker wants to make it look used.

[kira]

ok.

[RoboFlonne]

One of the shows I collect seems to had someone who was over zealous with an execto-knife... Makes me want to scream!!!

If you're going to use the knife don't use the sketches as a backingboard!

[EternityOfPain]

Plus genuine cels have that "trace lines" smell. Open the bags and breathe deeply. When you awaken from your harem- or bishie-infested dreams, you will never forget that distinctive scent. That will be one of the surest signs of genuineness in your future collecting.

Its so funny and true at the same time. I'll never forget the smell when i got a cel from japan for the first time, opened the bag and mistakenly took a deep breath.. Its something that sadly cannot be forgotten >_<.

[sailorsv13]

Gosh...I haven't tried to smell a cel before...*runs to take a whiff!!!*

~ Bri ~

[cutiebunny]

Ah yes, the smell. Opening a bag and taking a whiff reminds of the method used to test drugs on "Miami Vice" back in the 1980s. If it smells good, it must be 100% pure!

In the case of Toei cels, a common trait is the line quality. Toei cels that are older and/or have been exposed to lots of light will have line fading. Very rarely do I find a cel that has not had, to a certain degree, some amount of fading(in Sailormoon's case, the likely canidates are those that come from the SuperS/Sailorstars season and/or come from good deals that charge $$$ for their wares because of the care that they've given these babies). This is an important feature in distinguishing between a real Toei cel and a fancel.

Not having a sequence number is also not a sure-fire way of proving a cel is fake. I've seen plenty of cels that have been cropped by the studio. and the holes/sequence number has been taken off. While this cropping method is not frequently done, there are many cels that do suffer from this. Hence, look for other features of the cel before you decide that it's a fancel.

Another feature I've found important is the quantity of paint used. A lot of fanartists tend to keep the colors inbetween the lines and will not overlap. Many of the cels that I own do feature some overlapping and more paint is generally used for lighter colors than darker ones. So, if you see one coat of black and one coat of white, that may be an indication that what you have is not the real mccoy.

[dave1999artwork]

Origional cels will look more proffesionally drawing than fan cels or a fake. You also can;t get the exact same colors the studio used- you can get near enough, but never exact.

Most people who make fancels as well do not have raw talent. They are good at drawing, but their talent is not raw in creativity.